Created by Tony Gilroy, Andor Season 2 follows the continuation and conclusion of the five-year journey of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and others on the path towards the events of Rogue One.
The first season was a phenomenal surprise that not only gave us a new perspective/introduction of various characters and the universe they exist in, but also gave us one of the most mature and highly relevant stories ever to be told in Star Wars. So naturally, I was excited to see what this second and final season would do to bring the story full circle to the events of Rogue One, as well as see what other emotionally impactful surprises it had in store. But does this season even come close to the greatness of the first season? Yes. Yes it does.
Tony Gilroy and his team hit another home run with a season that is not only on par with its predecessor but also manages to exceed it by being immensely more relevant and powerful on its own, making for one of the most important pieces of Star Wars media we have had recently that didn’t even need a lightsaber involved to get attention. This grounded and layered conclusion of the series forever changes your perspective and understanding of everything involving Star Wars, from the events of Rogue One and A New Hope to the Rebellion vs. Empire conflict, making for a truly impactful installment that sets itself apart from everything else we have seen, while also adding more to the universe in a beautiful way.
This season is masterfully crafted on every level but it is the emotionally driven performances and compelling layered writing that is once again the strongest aspect of the series much like the previous season. The entire ensemble cast delivers masterclass performances no matter how long or short their roles are, and even certain characters who didn’t get as much screen time last season get a chance to hugely shine in this season.
Diego Luna once again reprises Andor, delivering a battered and bruised version of the character who has been pushing himself to his physical, mental, and emotional limits in service of the rebellion. Through Luna’s phenomenal acting we witness the personal and impactful story of a revolutionary and understand why he keeps going, why he keeps fighting, and what he loses on the way to his eventual fate in Rogue One, and it is truly a remarkable journey to witness. Just like the last season, he is the central character of the season that ties every character and plot thread together through his actions, whether it be directly or indirectly, forever cementing himself as one of the best and most integral characters in the entire Star Wars universe without needing to be a Jedi, a Sith or a Mandalorian.
There are others this season that manage to be on par with Luna’s performance in terms of being emotionally compelling, and they were Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma.
Adria Arjona returns in full force as Bix, whose mind, body, and life were shattered by the Empire in the previous season, leaving us with a character that endures a lot emotionally and psychologically this season and is extremely investing to follow. Adria delivers so many layers of explicit vulnerability as Bix that really get us into the mind and feelings of her character, making us want to root for her to endure all the hardships she’s faced and find some kind of peace after being put through hell by the Empire. But in brutal times of war and tyranny she doesn’t get that luxury and this harsh journey is beautifully performed by Adria Arjona ,showcasing fantastic range that you can’t help but be in awe of.
We also get to see a lot more of Andor and Bix’s relationship flourish but also take a lot of hits as they are constantly tested to choose between wanting to be committed to the rebellion or to each other.
In season one, the brilliant expansion and exploration of Mon Mothma combined with Genevieve O’Reilly’s heart-string-pulling performance as her made me really care about the character far more than I ever had before, and her role in season 2 ended up being even more emotional compelling and investing as we finally see Mon Mothma have the courage to rise up and, more importantly, speak up against the evil of the Empire, leading to her eventual exile from the Senate. In a season focused on the theme of sacrificing for the greater good we get to see Mon Mothma doing exactly that after horrific events by the Empire have pushed her to edge, shattering her once pacifistic approach for the rebellion and leading to quite possibly one of the most highly relevant performances of not just Star Wars but of all shows to come out this year.
Genevieve O’Reilly acts her f**king heart out in this season in every episode she is in, but easily her best work comes in the speech scene that absolutely had me floored and is guaranteed to get a lot of people talking, especially considering the subject matter and how it connects to real-world events and politics. It is incredible and I am grateful to Tony Gilroy and his crew for having the courage to give such a powerful speech through such a fantastically written and performed character.
Stellan Skarsgård returns as Luthen Rael who we get to see be extremely instrumental towards building the Rebel Alliance while being behind enemy lines, and using unorthodox methods to burn the Empire to the ground even if it means he must burn in the process. Stellan Skarsgård was truly masterful as Luthen in the first season and continues to be masterful as Luthen here as we see what all of his actions and sacrifices create by the end of the series. We have seen him go to great and terrible lengths to fight the Empire and yet despite all of this one can’t help but admit that without him, the Rebellion could have never happened, making him just as important of a character to Star Wars as the larger than life characters seen in the Skywalker Saga.
Faye Marsay and Elizabeth Dulau have significant parts in this season as Vel and Kleya respectively, and we get to see them truly put their all into giving very emotional performances as their respective characters when they endure drastic losses that change their lives forever. As for special guest appearances we get Forest Whitaker reprising as Saw Gerrera and Alan Tudyk reprising as K-2SO, who both have short but still fantastic roles in this season that lead up to their paths in Rogue One.
Forest Whitaker has had the chance to show multiple sides of Saw from playing the character over the years, but here we get to see how his commitment to his extremist ideology and his somewhat justified paranoia have been gradually driving him insane, leading to his separation from the rest of the Rebel Alliance and his subsequent reduction to the shell of a man he becomes in Rogue One. Even when insane the character is given such fantastic dialogue that is phenomenally performed by Forest Whitaker, taking what could have been a one-dimensional radical into a layered and investing individual that you can’t help but love to listen to despite his madness.
Alan Tudyk makes a late appearance to the season but we finally get to see how he came to be paired with Andor and how the two became friends. The character provides much-needed levity and humor in a season that is primarily dark and depressing for a majority of the time, making him a blessed gem to have added in the series, much like he is in the film.
Another surprising addition to the season was the appearance of Bail Organa, who is played by Benjamin Bratt in this series, replacing Jimmy Smits due to scheduling conflicts. Although the absence of Smits as the character can be jarring at first, Benjamin Bratt proves himself to be a worthy replacement, delivering some surprisingly strong moments for the brief amount of time he gets in the season.
We get the return of all of the most significant villains and characters from Empire side of the story from season one, with the most notable amongst them being Syril (Kyle Soller) and Dedra (Denise Gough) who will probably go down as two of the most important and fascinating characters in Andor, not only because of the incredible performances by their respective cast members but also the way their stories are handled and the overall message within them of how fascism is often perpetuated by real people who think they’re doing the right thing until it’s too late. We’ve seen how truly devoted these characters are to the Empire in season one to the point that even after having endured great failure that put their lives at risk they are still willing to put forth blind loyalty towards the Empire, even if what they end up doing is horrifically wrong or not what they signed up for. Given that these characters never appear in Rogue One I wasn’t sure what to expect regarding their fates, but I really loved what the showmakers ended up doing for both of them and how their stories conclude by the end of the series.
We also get the inclusion and return of Orson Krennic, reprised by Ben Mendelsohn, whose building of the Death Star plays a crucial part in what leads to the shocking events that occur in this season and showcase the endless evil lengths the Empire goes to help Krennic create his deadly weapon.
The first season of Andor did a phenomenal job showing the inner workings and levels of the Empire and just how evil it can be but the second season takes things a step further, showing just how evil and corruptive they can be through heinous actions both on a small and large scale. The portrayal of the Empire’s evil this season proves to be extremely relevant in this season with current events and is probably guaranteed to piss off certain individuals who more than likely share the same mindset or commit the same actions as the inhuman animals the Empire has within its ranks. Star Wars and its themes have not changed but some of its audience have definitely stopped listening.
This season spans across four eventful years that go to some really dark and mature places for Star Wars, as well as redefine what love, loyalty, sacrifice and resistance looks like in this era of the Star Wars universe, with phenomenal writing that tells an impactful story full of moral complexity, espionage, and political intrigue. The season explores difficult topics never explored before in Star Wars, and handles them with incredible grace and thoughtfulness while also managing to deliver endless edge-of-your-seat tension that culminates in truly unforgettable moments guaranteed to emotionally break audiences.
The most emotionally devastating and shocking moments to occur in this season come in the form of an event simply known as “The Ghorman Massacre”. We’ve seen mass death in Star Wars media before but I honestly believe none of it compares to the unprovoked genocide that is displayed in such unfiltered fashion through this horrific event that is highly relevant to current events in our world. To see Star Wars go as far as does portraying an event like this onscreen is truly remarkable and something that I believe makes this series one of the most important shows of our time and not just in the realm of Star Wars. Tony Gilroy and his team went above and beyond with this season in terms of the themes they tackle and the real-world subjects they incorporate, which comes with such great risk, and yet they pulled off masterfully and I can’t help but applaud them for their work.
When it comes to technical elements you’ll find no issues here as everything from the practical effects, practical sets, CGI, cinematography, and action are all handled with great care and are crafted to absolute perfection. All of it makes this grounded and gritty story of Star Wars feel very much alive by enhancing the mature tone of the story while also adding deep visual storytelling through stunning camera work and editing. The score for this season is done this time by composer Brandon Roberts, but he manages to deliver truly powerful and moving music, much like in the previous season.
Andor Season 2 cements the show as a whole as not only one of the best Star Wars shows ever made but also as truly one of best shows ever made, one that for me personally makes my list of favorite shows of all time. Everything about it is truly phenomenal and I am very much going to miss this show because I feel like we may never get anything like this again going forward. I’m going to give Andor Season 2 an A+ = 100.
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